The French duo of Lilian Thuram and Claude Makelele have announced their decision to retire from international football after France failed to make it past the group stage of Euro 2008. The French finished at the bottom of Group C with one point, gained from their opening game stalemate against Romania.

Thuram, who is out of contract with Barcelona in the summer, is France's most capped player with 142 international appearances. The 36 year old did not play in France's final game against Italy. He was part of France's winning team at the 1998 World Cup, and Euro 2000, and was also part of the team that lost to Italy in the final of the 2006 World Cup.

Thuram has made a record 16 appearances at the European Championships, but his record will be broken by Edwin van der Sar should the Netherlands reach the semifinals.

Makelele initially announced his desire to retire after the 2006 World Cup loss, but stayed on to play a part in qualifying. A defensive midfielder, the Chelsea star has been capped 71 times for Les Bleus. He was partnered by Jeremy Toulalan in midfield after Patrick Vieira was injured before the tournament.

A move to England or Scotland has not been ruled out for Thuram, but clubs in his native France are also reportedly eager to make use of his experience, with PSG expressing their interest.